Egypt: Attack in Cairo kills three policemen, injures five, May 1

Event

According to a statement by the Interior Ministry, three policemen were killed and five injured when assailants opened fire on policemen stationed at an intersection of the ring road, a busy Cairo expressway, in the capital's eastern neighborhood of Nasr City on Monday, May 1. The Hasm group claimed responsibility for the attack on Tuesday, May 2

Context

The Hasm movement is a militant group allegedly linked to the banned Muslim Brotherhood organization. It claimed responsibility for the December 9 Cairo bombing, which killed six policemen.

The militant threat remains high across Egypt. While the worst violence has been largely concentrated in the Sinai region, there has been an increase in the number of attacks elsewhere in the country as well, usually targeting policemen and soldiers, security checkpoints, or government buildings.

A country-wide state of emergency was declared on April 10 following two suicide bomb attacks that targeted two Coptic Christian Churches in Tanta and Alexandria, later claimed by Islamic State (IS) to have been carried out by one of its local affiliates. The IS-affiliated Sinai Province appears to have stepped up its operations in the south of Sinai in the past few months, whilst maintaining a high number of attacks in North Sinai. It seems that the group intends to target locations frequented by foreign travelers, while Egyptian authorities have stepped up their security presence in Sinai.

Advice

Due to the prevailing threat of terrorism, individuals throughout Egypt should report any suspicious objects or behavior to the authorities and always be on guard when visiting sites deemed particularly vulnerable to an attack (public transportation, train stations, ports, airports, public or government buildings, embassies or consulates, international organizations, schools and universities, religious sites, markets, hotels and restaurants frequented by foreigners/Westerners, festivals, etc.). All travel to northern Sinai is advised against; the authorities maintain a media blackout and special security zones in the region due to the ongoing terrorist campaign of Sinai Province.